Factors Contributing to Sibling Rivalry Among Preschool Children

Abstract

Background: Sibling rivalry is a form of relationship between siblings that is negative. Such relationships come with competition, jealousy, anger, and even hatred. In Indonesia, almost 75% of children experience sibling rivalry in the age range of 3-5 years. Sibling rivalry can refer to a child's developmental stage that is so emotionally immature that the child doesn't know how to get attention or start games with their siblings. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the factors contributing to Sibling Rivalry in preschool children. Methods: The research method used is quantitative with a Cross-Sectional Study design. This research has been conducted in Preschool, Lubuk Begalung District from 6 to 9 June 2022. The population in this study were mothers who had young children with the criteria of being willing to sign informed consent. The sample in this study was 55 respondents. Data were analyzed univariately in the form of frequency distribution and bivariate using the Chi-Square test. Results: Based on the research results, it was found that there is a contribution from parental attitudes, favoritism, and children's age gap which can trigger sibling rivalry, with details of all variables having a significant sign (p-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Parents are expected to show the same level of affection for their children, educate them according to their developmental stage, implement a combination of parenting patterns according to the child's needs, and determine an optimal pregnancy gap of more than two years between children. We encourage parents to motivate children to look for ways to make things better. Parents just need to give their children time to process their feelings before they can forgive their siblings because children can forgive more quickly. make peace with the situation, respect each other, defend your rights, and ask permission if you want to borrow something. It is hoped that future researchers will carry out further research using other methods such as conducting health education so that picker parents know more about sibling rivalry. Future researchers could explore how to manage emotions when conflict occurs between siblings.